What I love about teaching ensembles is that we’re doing real things.
There are times in school when students are asked to do pretend things. Form a pretend team for a class project, do a pretend experiment to confirm a known scientific fact, pretend as if the knowledge you are acquiring in a certain class is important to you.
Musical ensembles are making real music. They are overwhelmingly there by choice, so they are acquiring skills they aren’t pretending to want. The bonds they build come from shared purpose and interests. The music they make is real and unique.
Arts education is the best vehicle I know to let students stop pretending and start living and loving their lives.